Shelby Run Europe, the full story, with pix attached

[Cali_KR]

SHELBY RUN EUROPE 2012

 

 

Team Shelby’s first official event was Carroll Shelby's 85th Birthday Bash held January 2008 at Shelby World Headquarters based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some of the first people I met there were Patrick Bouthoorn and his wife Astrid who traveled all the way from the Netherlands to attend. Patrick had one of the first 2007 GT500’s in Europe.

 

For years, Patrick had a dream, and in that dream he imagined a number of Shelby's touring across Europe, driving the best roads, while visiting historic sites along the way. During a Shelby event in Terlingua Texas in September 2010, that dream was put into motion with the help of Sean Cook at SMC Events.

 

They had decided that this unique opportunity would be capped at 20 cars to keep it manageable. Upon hearing of this adventure, I tossed my name into the hat to reserve a spot, even though I'd not yet discussed this with Debra, my understanding and patient wife of 27 years. Although she didn’t immediately approve, weeks later she surprised me with a very special envelope. In that envelope was a homemade card with images of Europe, the Autobahn symbol, and a picture of our GT500KR in a street scene, on the bottom, it said, “Happy 50^th Birthday”. Shelby American and I share the same birth year, 1962.

 

As Patrick shared his basic thoughts of the route, the anticipation began to build. Driving the unlimited speed sections of the Autobahn, stops at the world famous Nurburgring, and Le Mans, while on a tour of eight countries throughout Europe in our cars, and those cars would be our Shelby's….a car guys fantasy…

 

I am sure I’m speaking for most of us that when we were about six months out, we, (attendees) began to count the days…the tour had been finalized with a departure date of Friday June 29th. Fast forward to early May, and Dan (the only other California attendee besides myself) and I had to get our cars to Houston as that where our cars would meet up with two Texas based cars to begin their over water voyage to Rotterdam and their on-time arrival near the end of June.

 

My co-pilot for this trip was to be our eighteen-year-old daughter, Victoria. Although she has been driving for two years, she had not yet mastered a stick shift. In the month prior to the trip, her older brother Taylor was gracious enough to allow her to gain some training time in his 2001 Bullitt Mustang so she could also get the full experience of this adventure.

 

Finally, the day arrived for us to depart San Francisco for our flight to Amsterdam. I was full of nervous anticipation, as I had not seen my car in 5 weeks, and wondered of its arrival condition. I had booked the flight so we would have 4 days prior to the road trip in an effort to get our body clocks somewhat adjusted prior to us jumping into our cars and embarking on this wonderful road trip.

 

After two leisurely days playing tourist in Amsterdam, we took a 30-minute taxi ride east to Almere, both the starting point of Shelby Run Europe and the hometown of Patrick and Astrid. That afternoon, Sean (co-organizer) drove four of us to collect our cars from the dock in Rotterdam. Of the eight cars that were shipped from the US, four were shipped from Houston, while the other four were shipped from Baltimore. Walking into that warehouse, and seeing my car in exactly the same condition as when I dropped it off in Los Angeles prior to its journey, was a major relief. Other than a little dust, all four cars looked great. After we provided our passports, insurance documents and signatures, off we went for the 90-kilometer drive back north to Almere. After we got cleaned up at the hotel, we all went to Patrick & Astrid’s for a wonderful welcoming BBQ.

 

The next morning Patrick had arranged for a group tour of a wonderful 13^th century castle near Almere called Muiderslot. When we returned in mid afternoon, the hotel parking lot became a car show and sticker party. There was no planned car show, simply the hotel guests, along with many of the locals had heard about all of the American muscle cars, and they all wanted a see and hear these great machines. Even the local Almere newspaper came out to write a report. The sticker party was all of the participants putting the run stickers on their cars, which is always a fun activity.

 

Although initially planned for 20 cars, the trip would only have 13 “specialty” cars and two regular support vehicles on the tour.

 

 

Saturday, June 29 Day One (324km = 201mi)

 

Today was the day we had all been waiting for. “Day One” of Shelby Run Europe. The energy was boiling over…everybody was excited! Patrick, along with his 7-year-old son Rick would be the lead car for the tour, he drives a (can’t miss it) 2007 Grabber Orange GT500, followed by his wife Astrid and their 14-year-old daughter Cheyenne in her own car. Astrid drives a beautiful black with yellow accented 2008 Shelby Terlingua, which is not only a very rare car, but is also the only one of its kind in Europe.

 

Participants awoke to sunny skies and a warm day. We drove southeast from Almere on our way into Germany and soon found our way into the town of Nurburg, and its world famous Nurburgring. When we arrived, the track was closed, as there had been a fatality with a motorcyclist earlier in the day. We were instructed to stay close by as the track, (which incidentally is an open public toll road), would be reopening soon. If you crash, there is a traffic/police report, and if you damage any barriers, you must also pay to have them repaired.

 

I’m assuming that most of you reading this have never been on the ‘Ring, but have certainly heard of its tough reputation. Let me just say this, driving on the ‘Ring is combination of open track, in rush hour, with every sort of car, truck, rv or motorcycle, in a testosterone fueled free-for-all and has absolutely no rules, all vying for the same line through the corner…A jailbreak, simple as that.

 

I had zero idea on the configuration of the Nordschleife, and other than watching a few in-car videos on YouTube, I was going in blind. At 23kms (15mi) long, my plan was to go out, drive 60-70% and enjoy myself and take in every second of this opportunity. After all, this was day one of our tour, in our Shelby’s, and the last thing I wanted was to wad up my car. The feeling was mutual amongst the other participants in terms of track approach. (our group did have a meeting to discuss driver and passenger safety) To enter the circuit, you drive up to the entry gate, swipe your ‘Ring card, the gate arm raises and off you go. In a very short period of time, a number of econo boxes, Porsches GT3’s, the M5 Ring Taxi and a slew of M3’s went whipping by me. After a number of kilometers, I ratcheted it up a notch, and was moving along with in disbelief at the passes I was witnessing in front of me, which would earn us a black flag at any of our track events. Every inch of the track is considered passing zone, safe or otherwise. I’m sure there are days when there is room to spare, but on this day, it was packed. With the volume of cars, and the amount of time it took to exit and re-enter (you only run one lap at a time), I only got in two laps, but on this day, that was enough on the Grunne Holle, which is its nickname. Translated from German, it means the Green Hell, so aptly named by the famous F1 pilot Jackie Stewart.

 

Sunday July 1, Day Two (560km = 347mi)

 

We were off to southern Germany and the Bavaria town of Hohenschwangau that is home to King Ludwig’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein. Our lunch break was to stop at Meilenwerk in Stuttgart, which is a state of the art automotive facility including specialized auto dealers, service centers, restaurants and bars. Albert who organizes the German Shelby club arranged for 28 Shelby’s to meet us there all and gave us a very warm welcome. After a hearty lunch of schnitzel and a tour of the facilities, it was time to continue on to Bavaria. I was excited for this leg, as it took us onto the unlimited sections of the Autobahn (nationally, the posted speed limit in most sections is 130kph which is 85mph). Three of us broke away with Jürgen, a German national living in Prague who drives a 2008 750HP Super Snake leading the way. The third car of our group was Quentin and his son Matt who were in a sister KR to ours. Sustained speeds of 160mph were easily achieved and the Shelby’s were all rock solid steady. Now, as fun as it is to go fast in a straight line, doing a 140mph around many sweeping corners is an entirely more exciting time especially when you can feel the back end wiggle ever so slightly. This day went by entirely too fast.

 

Monday July 2, Day Three (285km = 177mi)

 

Although it had rained over night, the clouds were breaking and it was starting to dry out in the morning. This was good for us, as our day started with a tour of Neuschwanstein, the castle that inspired Disney to use its likeness. Although not very old, by castle standards, it may certainly be one of the most majestic. After the tour, it was wheels up at 11:00am. Our drive today would take us from Bavaria Germany, into Austria through the Tyrolean Alps close to the Lichtenstein border on our way to our hotel in Nauders Austria, which is a short distance to the Italian border. The highlight of this drive was the famous road #188, or the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse. Winding its way up to over 6000’ above sea level and cresting the summit where the beautiful Silvrettasee (lake) is waiting. While we were taking pictures at the summit, I met a family from Berlin, their young son knew all about Shelby’s, and as I speak fluent German, we shared a wonderful conversation about these bodacious muscle cars. When it was time for us to leave, I hung back for a moment, turned the traction control off, and left that youngster with two long black souvenirs. I’m sure he had a big smile on his face on their drive back to Berlin, and will undoubtedly remember the Americans and their cars for the rest of his life. Lunch today was spent in an alpine field in the Austrian Alps bathed by the glorious summer sun and mountain air.

 

 

Tuesday July 3, day four (340kms = 211mi)

Once again, it had rained overnight, but we awoke to brilliant blue skies in the Tyrolean Alps village of Nauders. Today was a day many circled on the tour calendar. Although not the longest in terms of kilometers driven, rather by the route we were about to embark on over the Stelvio Pass. Our start was in Austria, into Italy, then Switzerland, and back into Italy. After a sumptuous breakfast, we were on the road by 9:00am. In a very short distance, we had crossed border from Austria and into Northern Italy. The scenery was stunning with sweeping green valleys climbing into snow-capped mountains in all directions. I was quite surprised at the amount of German language that was displayed throughout northern Italy.

 

About an hour or so into our drive, we were met by Stefan and Petra, a couple from Switzerland who were going to cruise with us for the day in their GT500 convertible. Stefan would be our guide over the Stelvio. However, prior to making the climb, he took us along ancient cobble stone roads through the village of Glorenza that dated back to 1305! I was driving behind the Ford GT, and watching GT Joey navigate the wide hipped car through the narrow village was certainly interesting with which both Tori and I let out a few audible oohs’ and aah’s.

 

For those that are unfamiliar with Passo del Stelvio, do an online search, and prepare to be amazed. It is the highest paved road in the eastern Alps, with 48 hairpin turns on the north side and another 39 hairpin turns on the Southside.

 

As we climbed higher and navigated each turn, we could almost reach out and touch the majestic peaks, some with glaciers. My mouth may have been agape the entire time as I was in awe at the natural beauty that surrounded us.

 

We reached the summit, at 2758m (9049ft) where the obligatory picture taking, (and potty stop), was done by all. On the descent into Bormio, the turns were not quite as tight, but the scenery, while different than on the way up the mountain, was certainly no less stunning.

 

Our well-deserved lunch stop was in St. Moritz Switzerland where we met up with a number of Italian and Swiss Shelby/Mustang club members who were going to join us for the remaining part of our drive into Milan. My daughter and I took this time to explore St. Moritz. No, we didn’t prop up the local economy, just window-shopped.

 

As we left St. Moritz and Switzerland, we crossed the border back into Italy and soon found ourselves driving along the shores of beautiful Lake Como. A very large lake dotted with large villas, many owned by celebrities.

 

We arrived at our hotel in the northern section of Milan, which was near the famous Monza racetrack. Another ten or so cars and their members from the Italian Mustang club were there to greet us. And in typical Italian style, they were very welcoming and joyously enthusiastic.

 

At dinner, Sean Cook gave a recap of the day, and his opening remark was, “Today we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Switzerland, and dinner in Italy, how cool is that!”

 

 

Wednesday, July 4, day five (335kms = 208mi)

 

As we were getting farther south, the weather was much warmer than our previous days in the mountains. Today was going to be one of the shorter driving days, as it was all Autostrada and Autoroute (Italian & French for highway). Other than some annoying Milan traffic jams at our departure, we were soon in the clear and heading south towards the Mediterranean at a comfortable 130-140 k/h (about 85-90mph)

 

The Autoroute south of Milan was smooth and fast with little traffic. There were three GT500KR’s on this tour, and Pierre (KR owner from Zurich) had an idea to set up a photo-op with the KR’s running abreast. With radios in hand, we accomplished our goal on this day.

 

As we got closer to the sea, the highway on the way to the French Riviera was cut into the steep hills with sweeping bridges and tunnels, truly a fantastic high-speed drive with great views.

 

By early afternoon, we had exited the Autoroute, and were heading down the steep road into Monte Carlo, the Principality of Monaco. I was fortunate to have been here twice before, and was anxious to get back with my daughter who was now at an age to appreciate it. We found the hotel easily and parked our cars. We were ideally located, as we could walk to everything. Victoria and I went down to the harbor for lunch and gawked at the yachts (really more like ships!) Then onto shopping (yes, equal time for the ladies, and yes, we propped up the local economy, although theirs doesn’t need any help from me)

 

After the gawking and money spending, it was back to the hotel, and relax in the pool. It would’ve been nice to have an extra (off day) to unwind in Monaco.

Victoria and I had dinner away from group and found our way just west into Nice, France. She found us a wonderful restaurant by the harbor. An old world establishment, where we had the unique pleasure of watching the chef prepare our food right in front of us, with only locally grown, natural ingredients.

 

The next morning, I got up early to take a hot lap around parts of the Formula 1 Circuit that is the Monaco Grand Prix. From the tunnel, to the marina and back again. I took the Grand Hotel hairpin in both directions, but preferred going in the opposite direction (up hill), and did my best Jeremy Clarkson impersonation, traction control off, kicking the back end out in a nice sweeping arc. Sorry no video, but it happened, just ask all of the tourists who witnessed the ugly American in this load and raucous car, all the while, being a menace to society. After that little excursion, it was off to the Casino Monte Carlo for more pictures…Ferrari’s…pfft, Lambo’s…yawn, Bentleys…whatever, Aston Martin’s…shrug. The Shelby’s were the showstoppers.

 

 

Thursday, July 5, day six (577kms = 356mi)

 

As we put Monte Carlo in our rearview mirror, we were now heading into central France towards the Gorges du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of Europe). On our way we would travel through Provence where painters such as Van Gogh and Monet found their inspiration. The first few hours we would be driving the Route Napoleon, the route he took in 1815.

 

Lunch was at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the massive canyon. Soon, we were carving our way along the river at the canyon floor, where the scenery was nothing short of spectacular. Once we were back on the AutoRoute, where we crossed the Millau Bridge, which is the tallest suspension bridge in the world. Shortly thereafter we dropped down into another canyon at the Gorges du Tarn, where our hotel was nestled on the canyon floor in a beautiful riverside setting.

 

Friday, July 6, day seven (558kms = 347mi)

 

Of all the driving days so far, this one would be a departure from previous, as the entire day would be spent on the AutoRoute as we had a big chunk of asphalt to eat at 558kms. Nevertheless, we were excited; not because of the roads that lay ahead, but rather to where we were going. We are on our way to Le Mans, and the 24 Hour Classic. I will say that the French really know how to build a highway, with perfectly smooth black ribbons sweeping through the French countryside. Tori and I were both pleased that the vistas from the highway in central France were as good as everything we had seen up to that point. All the participants arrived safely at the hotel, where much conversation ensued about the events of the next day, and being able to drive parade laps at the historic track, where Carroll Shelby achieved so much greatness as a champion driver, team owner, and team manager.

 

 

Saturday July 7, day eight (315kms = 196mi)

 

Our hotel in city of Tours was about an hour south of Le Mans, and with the expected crowds, and not knowing the logistics of parking our group, it was agreed that the departure time was to be earlier have a wheels up time at 6:00am. We arrived just as the gates opened and were expeditiously directed to our designated parking area, which was across from one of the French Mustang Clubs. We had about two hours before we needed to be back at our cars for the parade laps, so Tori and I hit the merchant stands to do a quick shopping blitz. We were soon loaded up with bags full of Le Mans hats, shirts and other souvenirs.

 

The time came when we all climbed into our cars to proceed to the staging area for our parade lap session. After about 15 minutes, the group was signaled, but myself and two other Shelby’s were held back as the marshals stopped us short. What seemed like an eternity (the circuit is 13.62km long and each parade session was to be 3 laps) we finally entered the famed circuit. Other than Pierre’s Vista Blue KR, and Dris’ red convertible, the other cars around us were mostly Ferraris, TVR’s and a few Porsches.

 

I’ve certainly had my share of parade laps at home, and as most of you know, they are very controlled events, where the attendees get to take a leisurely spin around the track with friends or family who may never otherwise get a chance to get out onto the track. Let me just say this, parade laps at Le Mans is taken with a very, very different approach.

 

After three quarters of the way around our first lap and near the end of the Mulsanne Straight, I see a guy standing trackside waving a green flag. Hmm, okay, I guess it’s on! Le Mans was built for speed, 24 hours of endurance, therefore the track is big and wide open with very predictable corners. As I worked my way through the pack, by mid-point of the second lap I had reeled in a group of Ferraris and was soon playing with the Prancing Horses. I consciously remember thinking about this battleground, where, four decades earlier, it was Shelby vs. Ferrari. We had an in-car camera shooting footage, and I can be heard saying 150, the speed we were doing on the Mulsanne straight, and in the end, those three laps went by way too fast, especially at 150mph! Did I mention these were parade laps? Carroll would have been proud with the cars that bore his name, dueling in a modern version of, “Ferrari’s ass is mine”.

 

Once we got back to our designated parking area, it was off to the main grandstand to spectate some of the vintage machines in their habitat. Witnessing a Le Mans start was very cool, and watching all of the really amazing vintage cars was also really special. And for us Shelby owners, seeing the GT40’s, Cobra’s and an original Daytona Coupe roaring down the front straight was, (at least for me) as goose bump moment.

 

In addition to the entire vintage-racing scene, there were 108 enthusiast clubs in attendance, which offered up, perhaps the largest car show in the world. More than 400 race cars and 8000 display cars were there to be seen. It was amazing in every direction. This day was certainly one if not the highlight of our trip.

 

Our hotel that evening was a couple hours north of Le Mans in Rouen, this would be our last night with the group, as we would be peeling off the next day.

 

 

Sunday July 8, day nine.

 

This was the last official day of Shelby Run Europe 2012, with the drive starting in Rouen France, passing through Belgium and ending where it started in Almere Netherlands. I had previously arranged to visit two Belgian based suppliers, so Victoria and I would be heading to Bruges on our own. After our breakfast, we were all feeling a little melancholy as we said our goodbyes to everyone, because, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. We cruised with the group for about an hour until they continued north and we veered westward and drove along to Atlantic coast on our way to Bruges where my daughter and I would spend the evening. Bruges is a fantastic place full of history and is a UNESCO World Heritage City.

 

After my two meetings, we drove back into Germany to visit my many aunts, uncles, cousins, but more importantly, my 96-year-old grandmother. After a couple of days of making the rounds with my relatives (and giving many spirited rides in the KR), it was back to Amsterdam to deliver the Shelby to the docks for the voyage home.

 

The end of the journey.

 

Fast-forward eight weeks. It took from July 12 when we delivered our KR to the dock in Amsterdam until Sept 14, when Dan and I could finally reunite with our cars at the dock in Port Hueneme. After completing the inspections and signing all of the documents, it was time for my 300-mile drive north. To say the drive was spirited would be an understatement, (flashbacks of the autobahn bouncing around in my head). I was alertly scanning for the first few hours, and I was within an hour of home when I got comfortable and into soft focus, until yup, you guessed it, one of California’s finest was soon on my rear bumper with lights flashing. He told me that when I went by him (he was on the ramp), my car sounded like a jet. We had a chat about the car, and although he really liked it, he didn’t let me off with a warning (I was doing 92 in a 65), but he reduced the speed down the ticket to 79mph. A final souvenir, for a most epic car adventure.

 

To Dan, Marji, Quentin, Matt, JT, Iris, Lindsey, Chris, Karen, Michael, Dale, Helaina, Ron, Richard, Joey, Ellie, Dris, Jeroen, Anders, Charlotte, Martin & Pierre. This was an amazing adventure that Victoria and I will remember forever, and are blessed to be able to call you our friends.

 

Of course I’d like to thank Patrick, Astrid, Sean and Lauren for all of the organization and hard work that went making Shelby Run Europe that success it was.

 

 

Here is the list of the participants with their cars;

 

Patrick & Rick (NL) 2007 Shelby GT500

 

Astrid & Cheyenne (NL) 2008 Shelby Terlingua

 

Dris & Jeroen (NL) 2008 Shelby GT500

 

Anders, Charlotte & Martin (DK) 2008 Mustang Bullitt

 

Pierre (CH) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

Joey & Ellie (NY) 2006 Ford GT (shared with Chris & Karen)

 

Ron & Helaina (NJ) 2008 Shelby GT

 

Michael & Dale (NJ) 2007 Shelby GT

 

Richard (NJ) 2012 Shelby GT500

 

Dan & Marji (CA) 2007 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

 

Quentin & Matt (SD) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

JT, Iris & Lindsey (TX) 2007 Shelby GT500 40^th Anniversary

 

Chris & Karen (TX) 2006 Ford GT (shared with Joey & Ellie)

 

Sean & Lauren (TX) Ford Galaxy rental (support, luggage & parts hauler)

…

and finally, yours truly and my daughter Victoria (CA) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

When it was all over, and our GT500KR was back at the shipping dock in Amsterdam, Victoria and I drove 3148 miles over a 12-day period through some of the best countryside and roads Europe had to offer. We met many wonderful people, and made new friends along the way. Would I like to do something like that again? Absolutely! SRE 2016 is being discussed with Scandinavia and the UK as a possible route.

 

Happy Motoring, Tom & Victoria Dankel

 

 

http://s968.photobuc...un Europe 2012/

[mywickedshelby]

Outstanding write up Tom, it was indeed the trip of our lifetime,

Dale and I had the most incredible driving experience with the best folks anyone has ever been honored to call his friends.

 

The Best Memories and Friendships ever, all to last a lifetime~

 

SRE 2012 Forever~!

[MY500SS]

Wow, you have a gift for putting words together Tom . Your words and photos brought me back to that wonderful adventure we, the SRE family, experienced together.

 

Once in a life time my friend.......once in a life time.

[MY500SS]

Outstanding write up Tom, it was indeed the trip of our lifetime,

Dale and I had the most incredible driving experience with the best folks anyone has ever been honored to call his friends.

 

The Best Memories and Friendships ever, all to last a lifetime~

 

SRE 2012 Forever~!

 

 

[DutchGT500]

Very good, Tom. I did it for my Shelby friends. I guess y'all had a great time. Lol.

[VorpalBunny]

Wow, thanks for such a great writeup! It indeed sounds like a lifetime adventure for you all. It also allowed us who could not attend to live it just a little through your eyes.

 

 

David

[Cali_KR]

Wow, thanks for such a great writeup! It indeed sounds like a lifetime adventure for you all. It also allowed us who could not attend to live it just a little through your eyes.

 

David

 

 

Your welcome David, glad you enjoyed it!

 

Tom

[Torch40]

Great write up Tom. That trip was worth every Euro.

[Cali_KR]

Very good, Tom. I did it for my Shelby friends. I guess y'all had a great time. Lol.

 

 

We (and I'm speaking for all of us SRE brothers & sisters) can't thank you enough for making this happen...props also to Astrid, Sean & Lauren too

[rdrawkit]

Sure enjoyed reading about your experience....Great pictures too..Sure is a different country over there....Glad all are safe and home for the HOLIDAYS.....

[Denstang65]

Wow, thanks for such a great writeup! It indeed sounds like a lifetime adventure for you all. It also allowed us who could not attend to live it just a little through your eyes.

 

 

David

 

I couln't agree more. Thank you Tom. Looks like it took some time to do the write up. I will be turning 40 in two years, but if I ever wanted to do a trip like that, I may have to wait till I am 50. I would love to do it, but my wife is not a car gal and her and I have no interest to see Europe. But to criuse in my 65 and do the experience, I would change my mind for that oppertunity. Of course my car will be restomoded to take on a task of that magnitude, ie; newer suspention, fresh motor with fuel injection, fresh paint, brakes,you know like I said, restomoded!. The only way I would do this is if some one close to me goes me, like mabey my 8 yr old son and a group such as yourselves went. The bottom line is, even if I never get to do it, your post makes us all out here feel like we were right there with you guys. Thank you again Tom!

[Cali_KR]

Wow, you have a gift for putting words together Tom . Your words and photos brought me back to that wonderful adventure we, the SRE family, experienced together.

 

Once in a life time my friend.......once in a life time.

 

Outstanding write up Tom, it was indeed the trip of our lifetime,

Dale and I had the most incredible driving experience with the best folks anyone has ever been honored to call his friends.

 

The Best Memories and Friendships ever, all to last a lifetime~

 

SRE 2012 Forever~!

 

 

Thanx for the compliments fellas...what was really cool is that I totally got into each day again, in detail, (in my head) while composing the story...for me it brings it back as if it were just yesterday

 

Rock on my SRE brothers

[RACERX009]

SHELBY RUN EUROPE 2012

 

 

Team Shelby’s first official event was Carroll Shelby's 85th Birthday Bash held January 2008 at Shelby World Headquarters based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some of the first people I met there were Patrick Bouthoorn and his wife Astrid who traveled all the way from the Netherlands to attend. Patrick had one of the first 2007 GT500’s in Europe.

 

For years, Patrick had a dream, and in that dream he imagined a number of Shelby's touring across Europe, driving the best roads, while visiting historic sites along the way. During a Shelby event in Terlingua Texas in September 2010, that dream was put into motion with the help of Sean Cook at SMC Events.

 

They had decided that this unique opportunity would be capped at 20 cars to keep it manageable. Upon hearing of this adventure, I tossed my name into the hat to reserve a spot, even though I'd not yet discussed this with Debra, my understanding and patient wife of 27 years. Although she didn’t immediately approve, weeks later she surprised me with a very special envelope. In that envelope was a homemade card with images of Europe, the Autobahn symbol, and a picture of our GT500KR in a street scene, on the bottom, it said, “Happy 50^th Birthday”. Shelby American and I share the same birth year, 1962.

 

As Patrick shared his basic thoughts of the route, the anticipation began to build. Driving the unlimited speed sections of the Autobahn, stops at the world famous Nurburgring, and Le Mans, while on a tour of eight countries throughout Europe in our cars, and those cars would be our Shelby's….a car guys fantasy…

 

I am sure I’m speaking for most of us that when we were about six months out, we, (attendees) began to count the days…the tour had been finalized with a departure date of Friday June 29th. Fast forward to early May, and Dan (the only other California attendee besides myself) and I had to get our cars to Houston as that where our cars would meet up with two Texas based cars to begin their over water voyage to Rotterdam and their on-time arrival near the end of June.

 

My co-pilot for this trip was to be our eighteen-year-old daughter, Victoria. Although she has been driving for two years, she had not yet mastered a stick shift. In the month prior to the trip, her older brother Taylor was gracious enough to allow her to gain some training time in his 2001 Bullitt Mustang so she could also get the full experience of this adventure.

 

Finally, the day arrived for us to depart San Francisco for our flight to Amsterdam. I was full of nervous anticipation, as I had not seen my car in 5 weeks, and wondered of its arrival condition. I had booked the flight so we would have 4 days prior to the road trip in an effort to get our body clocks somewhat adjusted prior to us jumping into our cars and embarking on this wonderful road trip.

 

After two leisurely days playing tourist in Amsterdam, we took a 30-minute taxi ride east to Almere, both the starting point of Shelby Run Europe and the hometown of Patrick and Astrid. That afternoon, Sean (co-organizer) drove four of us to collect our cars from the dock in Rotterdam. Of the eight cars that were shipped from the US, four were shipped from Houston, while the other four were shipped from Baltimore. Walking into that warehouse, and seeing my car in exactly the same condition as when I dropped it off in Los Angeles prior to its journey, was a major relief. Other than a little dust, all four cars looked great. After we provided our passports, insurance documents and signatures, off we went for the 90-kilometer drive back north to Almere. After we got cleaned up at the hotel, we all went to Patrick & Astrid’s for a wonderful welcoming BBQ.

 

The next morning Patrick had arranged for a group tour of a wonderful 13^th century castle near Almere called Muiderslot. When we returned in mid afternoon, the hotel parking lot became a car show and sticker party. There was no planned car show, simply the hotel guests, along with many of the locals had heard about all of the American muscle cars, and they all wanted a see and hear these great machines. Even the local Almere newspaper came out to write a report. The sticker party was all of the participants putting the run stickers on their cars, which is always a fun activity.

 

Although initially planned for 20 cars, the trip would only have 13 “specialty” cars and two regular support vehicles on the tour.

 

 

Saturday, June 29 Day One (324km = 201mi)

 

Today was the day we had all been waiting for. “Day One” of Shelby Run Europe. The energy was boiling over…everybody was excited! Patrick, along with his 7-year-old son Rick would be the lead car for the tour, he drives a (can’t miss it) 2007 Grabber Orange GT500, followed by his wife Astrid and their 14-year-old daughter Cheyenne in her own car. Astrid drives a beautiful black with yellow accented 2008 Shelby Terlingua, which is not only a very rare car, but is also the only one of its kind in Europe.

 

Participants awoke to sunny skies and a warm day. We drove southeast from Almere on our way into Germany and soon found our way into the town of Nurburg, and its world famous Nurburgring. When we arrived, the track was closed, as there had been a fatality with a motorcyclist earlier in the day. We were instructed to stay close by as the track, (which incidentally is an open public toll road), would be reopening soon. If you crash, there is a traffic/police report, and if you damage any barriers, you must also pay to have them repaired.

 

I’m assuming that most of you reading this have never been on the ‘Ring, but have certainly heard of its tough reputation. Let me just say this, driving on the ‘Ring is combination of open track, in rush hour, with every sort of car, truck, rv or motorcycle, in a testosterone fueled free-for-all and has absolutely no rules, all vying for the same line through the corner…A jailbreak, simple as that.

 

I had zero idea on the configuration of the Nordschleife, and other than watching a few in-car videos on YouTube, I was going in blind. At 23kms (15mi) long, my plan was to go out, drive 60-70% and enjoy myself and take in every second of this opportunity. After all, this was day one of our tour, in our Shelby’s, and the last thing I wanted was to wad up my car. The feeling was mutual amongst the other participants in terms of track approach. (our group did have a meeting to discuss driver and passenger safety) To enter the circuit, you drive up to the entry gate, swipe your ‘Ring card, the gate arm raises and off you go. In a very short period of time, a number of econo boxes, Porsches GT3’s, the M5 Ring Taxi and a slew of M3’s went whipping by me. After a number of kilometers, I ratcheted it up a notch, and was moving along with in disbelief at the passes I was witnessing in front of me, which would earn us a black flag at any of our track events. Every inch of the track is considered passing zone, safe or otherwise. I’m sure there are days when there is room to spare, but on this day, it was packed. With the volume of cars, and the amount of time it took to exit and re-enter (you only run one lap at a time), I only got in two laps, but on this day, that was enough on the Grunne Holle, which is its nickname. Translated from German, it means the Green Hell, so aptly named by the famous F1 pilot Jackie Stewart.

 

Sunday July 1, Day Two (560km = 347mi)

 

We were off to southern Germany and the Bavaria town of Hohenschwangau that is home to King Ludwig’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein. Our lunch break was to stop at Meilenwerk in Stuttgart, which is a state of the art automotive facility including specialized auto dealers, service centers, restaurants and bars. Albert who organizes the German Shelby club arranged for 28 Shelby’s to meet us there all and gave us a very warm welcome. After a hearty lunch of schnitzel and a tour of the facilities, it was time to continue on to Bavaria. I was excited for this leg, as it took us onto the unlimited sections of the Autobahn (nationally, the posted speed limit in most sections is 130kph which is 85mph). Three of us broke away with Jürgen, a German national living in Prague who drives a 2008 750HP Super Snake leading the way. The third car of our group was Quentin and his son Matt who were in a sister KR to ours. Sustained speeds of 160mph were easily achieved and the Shelby’s were all rock solid steady. Now, as fun as it is to go fast in a straight line, doing a 140mph around many sweeping corners is an entirely more exciting time especially when you can feel the back end wiggle ever so slightly. This day went by entirely too fast.

 

Monday July 2, Day Three (285km = 177mi)

 

Although it had rained over night, the clouds were breaking and it was starting to dry out in the morning. This was good for us, as our day started with a tour of Neuschwanstein, the castle that inspired Disney to use its likeness. Although not very old, by castle standards, it may certainly be one of the most majestic. After the tour, it was wheels up at 11:00am. Our drive today would take us from Bavaria Germany, into Austria through the Tyrolean Alps close to the Lichtenstein border on our way to our hotel in Nauders Austria, which is a short distance to the Italian border. The highlight of this drive was the famous road #188, or the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse. Winding its way up to over 6000’ above sea level and cresting the summit where the beautiful Silvrettasee (lake) is waiting. While we were taking pictures at the summit, I met a family from Berlin, their young son knew all about Shelby’s, and as I speak fluent German, we shared a wonderful conversation about these bodacious muscle cars. When it was time for us to leave, I hung back for a moment, turned the traction control off, and left that youngster with two long black souvenirs. I’m sure he had a big smile on his face on their drive back to Berlin, and will undoubtedly remember the Americans and their cars for the rest of his life. Lunch today was spent in an alpine field in the Austrian Alps bathed by the glorious summer sun and mountain air.

 

 

Tuesday July 3, day four (340kms = 211mi)

Once again, it had rained overnight, but we awoke to brilliant blue skies in the Tyrolean Alps village of Nauders. Today was a day many circled on the tour calendar. Although not the longest in terms of kilometers driven, rather by the route we were about to embark on over the Stelvio Pass. Our start was in Austria, into Italy, then Switzerland, and back into Italy. After a sumptuous breakfast, we were on the road by 9:00am. In a very short distance, we had crossed border from Austria and into Northern Italy. The scenery was stunning with sweeping green valleys climbing into snow-capped mountains in all directions. I was quite surprised at the amount of German language that was displayed throughout northern Italy.

 

About an hour or so into our drive, we were met by Stefan and Petra, a couple from Switzerland who were going to cruise with us for the day in their GT500 convertible. Stefan would be our guide over the Stelvio. However, prior to making the climb, he took us along ancient cobble stone roads through the village of Glorenza that dated back to 1305! I was driving behind the Ford GT, and watching GT Joey navigate the wide hipped car through the narrow village was certainly interesting with which both Tori and I let out a few audible oohs’ and aah’s.

 

For those that are unfamiliar with Passo del Stelvio, do an online search, and prepare to be amazed. It is the highest paved road in the eastern Alps, with 48 hairpin turns on the north side and another 39 hairpin turns on the Southside.

 

As we climbed higher and navigated each turn, we could almost reach out and touch the majestic peaks, some with glaciers. My mouth may have been agape the entire time as I was in awe at the natural beauty that surrounded us.

 

We reached the summit, at 2758m (9049ft) where the obligatory picture taking, (and potty stop), was done by all. On the descent into Bormio, the turns were not quite as tight, but the scenery, while different than on the way up the mountain, was certainly no less stunning.

 

Our well-deserved lunch stop was in St. Moritz Switzerland where we met up with a number of Italian and Swiss Shelby/Mustang club members who were going to join us for the remaining part of our drive into Milan. My daughter and I took this time to explore St. Moritz. No, we didn’t prop up the local economy, just window-shopped.

 

As we left St. Moritz and Switzerland, we crossed the border back into Italy and soon found ourselves driving along the shores of beautiful Lake Como. A very large lake dotted with large villas, many owned by celebrities.

 

We arrived at our hotel in the northern section of Milan, which was near the famous Monza racetrack. Another ten or so cars and their members from the Italian Mustang club were there to greet us. And in typical Italian style, they were very welcoming and joyously enthusiastic.

 

At dinner, Sean Cook gave a recap of the day, and his opening remark was, “Today we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Switzerland, and dinner in Italy, how cool is that!”

 

 

Wednesday, July 4, day five (335kms = 208mi)

 

As we were getting farther south, the weather was much warmer than our previous days in the mountains. Today was going to be one of the shorter driving days, as it was all Autostrada and Autoroute (Italian & French for highway). Other than some annoying Milan traffic jams at our departure, we were soon in the clear and heading south towards the Mediterranean at a comfortable 130-140 k/h (about 85-90mph)

 

The Autoroute south of Milan was smooth and fast with little traffic. There were three GT500KR’s on this tour, and Pierre (KR owner from Zurich) had an idea to set up a photo-op with the KR’s running abreast. With radios in hand, we accomplished our goal on this day.

 

As we got closer to the sea, the highway on the way to the French Riviera was cut into the steep hills with sweeping bridges and tunnels, truly a fantastic high-speed drive with great views.

 

By early afternoon, we had exited the Autoroute, and were heading down the steep road into Monte Carlo, the Principality of Monaco. I was fortunate to have been here twice before, and was anxious to get back with my daughter who was now at an age to appreciate it. We found the hotel easily and parked our cars. We were ideally located, as we could walk to everything. Victoria and I went down to the harbor for lunch and gawked at the yachts (really more like ships!) Then onto shopping (yes, equal time for the ladies, and yes, we propped up the local economy, although theirs doesn’t need any help from me)

 

After the gawking and money spending, it was back to the hotel, and relax in the pool. It would’ve been nice to have an extra (off day) to unwind in Monaco.

Victoria and I had dinner away from group and found our way just west into Nice, France. She found us a wonderful restaurant by the harbor. An old world establishment, where we had the unique pleasure of watching the chef prepare our food right in front of us, with only locally grown, natural ingredients.

 

The next morning, I got up early to take a hot lap around parts of the Formula 1 Circuit that is the Monaco Grand Prix. From the tunnel, to the marina and back again. I took the Grand Hotel hairpin in both directions, but preferred going in the opposite direction (up hill), and did my best Jeremy Clarkson impersonation, traction control off, kicking the back end out in a nice sweeping arc. Sorry no video, but it happened, just ask all of the tourists who witnessed the ugly American in this load and raucous car, all the while, being a menace to society. After that little excursion, it was off to the Casino Monte Carlo for more pictures…Ferrari’s…pfft, Lambo’s…yawn, Bentleys…whatever, Aston Martin’s…shrug. The Shelby’s were the showstoppers.

 

 

Thursday, July 5, day six (577kms = 356mi)

 

As we put Monte Carlo in our rearview mirror, we were now heading into central France towards the Gorges du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of Europe). On our way we would travel through Provence where painters such as Van Gogh and Monet found their inspiration. The first few hours we would be driving the Route Napoleon, the route he took in 1815.

 

Lunch was at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the massive canyon. Soon, we were carving our way along the river at the canyon floor, where the scenery was nothing short of spectacular. Once we were back on the AutoRoute, where we crossed the Millau Bridge, which is the tallest suspension bridge in the world. Shortly thereafter we dropped down into another canyon at the Gorges du Tarn, where our hotel was nestled on the canyon floor in a beautiful riverside setting.

 

Friday, July 6, day seven (558kms = 347mi)

 

Of all the driving days so far, this one would be a departure from previous, as the entire day would be spent on the AutoRoute as we had a big chunk of asphalt to eat at 558kms. Nevertheless, we were excited; not because of the roads that lay ahead, but rather to where we were going. We are on our way to Le Mans, and the 24 Hour Classic. I will say that the French really know how to build a highway, with perfectly smooth black ribbons sweeping through the French countryside. Tori and I were both pleased that the vistas from the highway in central France were as good as everything we had seen up to that point. All the participants arrived safely at the hotel, where much conversation ensued about the events of the next day, and being able to drive parade laps at the historic track, where Carroll Shelby achieved so much greatness as a champion driver, team owner, and team manager.

 

 

Saturday July 7, day eight (315kms = 196mi)

 

Our hotel in city of Tours was about an hour south of Le Mans, and with the expected crowds, and not knowing the logistics of parking our group, it was agreed that the departure time was to be earlier have a wheels up time at 6:00am. We arrived just as the gates opened and were expeditiously directed to our designated parking area, which was across from one of the French Mustang Clubs. We had about two hours before we needed to be back at our cars for the parade laps, so Tori and I hit the merchant stands to do a quick shopping blitz. We were soon loaded up with bags full of Le Mans hats, shirts and other souvenirs.

 

The time came when we all climbed into our cars to proceed to the staging area for our parade lap session. After about 15 minutes, the group was signaled, but myself and two other Shelby’s were held back as the marshals stopped us short. What seemed like an eternity (the circuit is 13.62km long and each parade session was to be 3 laps) we finally entered the famed circuit. Other than Pierre’s Vista Blue KR, and Dris’ red convertible, the other cars around us were mostly Ferraris, TVR’s and a few Porsches.

 

I’ve certainly had my share of parade laps at home, and as most of you know, they are very controlled events, where the attendees get to take a leisurely spin around the track with friends or family who may never otherwise get a chance to get out onto the track. Let me just say this, parade laps at Le Mans is taken with a very, very different approach.

 

After three quarters of the way around our first lap and near the end of the Mulsanne Straight, I see a guy standing trackside waving a green flag. Hmm, okay, I guess it’s on! Le Mans was built for speed, 24 hours of endurance, therefore the track is big and wide open with very predictable corners. As I worked my way through the pack, by mid-point of the second lap I had reeled in a group of Ferraris and was soon playing with the Prancing Horses. I consciously remember thinking about this battleground, where, four decades earlier, it was Shelby vs. Ferrari. We had an in-car camera shooting footage, and I can be heard saying 150, the speed we were doing on the Mulsanne straight, and in the end, those three laps went by way too fast, especially at 150mph! Did I mention these were parade laps? Carroll would have been proud with the cars that bore his name, dueling in a modern version of, “Ferrari’s ass is mine”.

 

Once we got back to our designated parking area, it was off to the main grandstand to spectate some of the vintage machines in their habitat. Witnessing a Le Mans start was very cool, and watching all of the really amazing vintage cars was also really special. And for us Shelby owners, seeing the GT40’s, Cobra’s and an original Daytona Coupe roaring down the front straight was, (at least for me) as goose bump moment.

 

In addition to the entire vintage-racing scene, there were 108 enthusiast clubs in attendance, which offered up, perhaps the largest car show in the world. More than 400 race cars and 8000 display cars were there to be seen. It was amazing in every direction. This day was certainly one if not the highlight of our trip.

 

Our hotel that evening was a couple hours north of Le Mans in Rouen, this would be our last night with the group, as we would be peeling off the next day.

 

 

Sunday July 8, day nine.

 

This was the last official day of Shelby Run Europe 2012, with the drive starting in Rouen France, passing through Belgium and ending where it started in Almere Netherlands. I had previously arranged to visit two Belgian based suppliers, so Victoria and I would be heading to Bruges on our own. After our breakfast, we were all feeling a little melancholy as we said our goodbyes to everyone, because, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. We cruised with the group for about an hour until they continued north and we veered westward and drove along to Atlantic coast on our way to Bruges where my daughter and I would spend the evening. Bruges is a fantastic place full of history and is a UNESCO World Heritage City.

 

After my two meetings, we drove back into Germany to visit my many aunts, uncles, cousins, but more importantly, my 96-year-old grandmother. After a couple of days of making the rounds with my relatives (and giving many spirited rides in the KR), it was back to Amsterdam to deliver the Shelby to the docks for the voyage home.

 

The end of the journey.

 

Fast-forward eight weeks. It took from July 12 when we delivered our KR to the dock in Amsterdam until Sept 14, when Dan and I could finally reunite with our cars at the dock in Port Hueneme. After completing the inspections and signing all of the documents, it was time for my 300-mile drive north. To say the drive was spirited would be an understatement, (flashbacks of the autobahn bouncing around in my head). I was alertly scanning for the first few hours, and I was within an hour of home when I got comfortable and into soft focus, until yup, you guessed it, one of California’s finest was soon on my rear bumper with lights flashing. He told me that when I went by him (he was on the ramp), my car sounded like a jet. We had a chat about the car, and although he really liked it, he didn’t let me off with a warning (I was doing 92 in a 65), but he reduced the speed down the ticket to 79mph. A final souvenir, for a most epic car adventure.

 

To Dan, Marji, Quentin, Matt, JT, Iris, Lindsey, Chris, Karen, Michael, Dale, Helaina, Ron, Richard, Joey, Ellie, Dris, Jeroen, Anders, Charlotte, Martin & Pierre. This was an amazing adventure that Victoria and I will remember forever, and are blessed to be able to call you our friends.

 

Of course I’d like to thank Patrick, Astrid, Sean and Lauren for all of the organization and hard work that went making Shelby Run Europe that success it was.

 

 

Here is the list of the participants with their cars;

 

Patrick & Rick (NL) 2007 Shelby GT500

 

Astrid & Cheyenne (NL) 2008 Shelby Terlingua

 

Dris & Jeroen (NL) 2008 Shelby GT500

 

Anders, Charlotte & Martin (DK) 2008 Mustang Bullitt

 

Pierre (CH) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

Joey & Ellie (NY) 2006 Ford GT (shared with Chris & Karen)

 

Ron & Helaina (NJ) 2008 Shelby GT

 

Michael & Dale (NJ) 2007 Shelby GT

 

Richard (NJ) 2012 Shelby GT500

 

Dan & Marji (CA) 2007 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

 

Quentin & Matt (SD) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

JT, Iris & Lindsey (TX) 2007 Shelby GT500 40^th Anniversary

 

Chris & Karen (TX) 2006 Ford GT (shared with Joey & Ellie)

 

Sean & Lauren (TX) Ford Galaxy rental (support, luggage & parts hauler)

…

and finally, yours truly and my daughter Victoria (CA) 2008 Shelby GT500KR

 

When it was all over, and our GT500KR was back at the shipping dock in Amsterdam, Victoria and I drove 3148 miles over a 12-day period through some of the best countryside and roads Europe had to offer. We met many wonderful people, and made new friends along the way. Would I like to do something like that again? Absolutely! SRE 2016 is being discussed with Scandinavia and the UK as a possible route.

 

Happy Motoring, Tom & Victoria Dankel

 

 

http://s968.photobuc...un Europe 2012/

 

Incredible I hope to do this one day after I get out of jail !!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

[rocky]

Thanks so much for sharing your adventure with all of us, I truly enjoyed reading about it.

[UK PONY]

Glad you guys had fun. Europe has the best roads in the world.

[Husky44]

Would love to get in on this next time around. My adrenaline was pumping reading the story... Very cool.

[DutchGT500]

Hey Alaskan guy, you will get a change in 2016. I am working on it.

 

Been in Alaska in 93. It was our first US state we visited. We drove from Vancouver to the Rockies and at km 0 started the Alcan to Alaska. drove it all the way. Beautiful scenery. Been to Kenai Peninsula, Denali NP and Barrow. Since then we saw 35 states.

[Blown Away]

Great story Tom. I would love for Laura and I to do that. Maybe someday...

 

Dan

[MY500SS]

Hey Alaskan guy, you will get a change in 2016. I am working on it.

 

Been in Alaska in 93. It was our first US state we visited. We drove from Vancouver to the Rockies and at km 0 started the Alcan to Alaska. drove it all the way. Beautiful scenery. Been to Kenai Peninsula, Denali NP and Barrow. Since then we saw 35 states.

 

 

We're in.................no matter where or when, Marji and I are in. :happy feet:

[MY500SS]

Great story Tom. I would love for Laura and I to do that. Maybe someday...

 

Dan

 

 

Yes, yes, yes.........having the both of you would make SRE that much more special.

[sportscars]

It was the trip of a lifetime and I am still humbled that I was able to be a part of this. Of course all the route work was done by Patrick and it could not have been better. I look forward to another trip to Europe in 2016!

 

Patrick and I will be updating everone on the progress, but in the mean time I will be working on Shelby Run America for 2014 and bringing all our European friends over to the states for the 50th anniversary of the Mustang.

[mywickedshelby]

 

 

[DutchGT500]

It was the trip of a lifetime and I am still humbled that I was able to be a part of this. Of course all the route work was done by Patrick and it could not have been better. I look forward to another trip to Europe in 2016!

 

Patrick and I will be updating everone on the progress, but in the mean time I will be working on Shelby Run America for 2014 and bringing all our European friends over to the states for the 50th anniversary of the Mustang.

 

 

I couldn't do this without your enormous assistance, Sean.

[Denstang65]

U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.!

[Denstang65]

It was the trip of a lifetime and I am still humbled that I was able to be a part of this. Of course all the route work was done by Patrick and it could not have been better. I look forward to another trip to Europe in 2016!

 

Patrick and I will be updating everone on the progress, but in the mean time I will be working on Shelby Run America for 2014 and bringing all our European friends over to the states for the 50th anniversary of the Mustang.

 

The U.S.! Sounds interesting.

[Husky44]

Hey Alaskan guy, you will get a change in 2016. I am working on it.

 

Been in Alaska in 93. It was our first US state we visited. We drove from Vancouver to the Rockies and at km 0 started the Alcan to Alaska. drove it all the way. Beautiful scenery. Been to Kenai Peninsula, Denali NP and Barrow. Since then we saw 35 states.

 

 

Will definitely be watching for the 2016 event!

 

Alaska is beautiful, but it's not good Shelby country. Season's too short, and there's only so many roads. Been up here for about 16 years, and ready to go back to the L48, someplace where I can drive my verts all year round.

 

Barrow? I've never even been there. Don't really want to go, either. Been to Prudhoe Bay many times, that's enough "been there, done that" bragging for me.

 

I can't imagine how much work it was to coordinate the event described above. You deserve major kudos! Doing it again may just mean you're a glutton for punishment!

[vapor08GT500]

Great write up Tom....between your whole write-up, all the pictures posted, and hearing my friend's that went's experiences, it is almost like being there!!

 

Alex

[pottydr]

Great read, looks like it was lot of fun, Too bad I wasn't there. it would have been a longer article and I'am sure our Secretary of State would have been involved,

[Cali_KR]

Great read, looks like it was lot of fun, Too bad I wasn't there. it would have been a longer article and I'am sure our Secretary of State would have been involved,

 

 

Plus we would've made a significant dent in the local patron supply

 

:tequila:

[mywickedshelby]

Quinten, a friend of SRE in Almere/the Netherlands fancies himself to be quite the photograher/videographer.....

 

he put this little video together from footage taken by our GoPro cameras and his own shots at the host hotel......

 

enjoy.....